Emily Albright’s The Heir and the Spare is a standalone novel. When Evie Gray was six, her mother passed away. Every year she receives a letter from her mother allowing Evie to learn a little bit more about the mother she never really got the chance to know. When Evie turns 19, she receives a letter from her mother that sends to Oxford. Guided by the letters, Evie must unlock the secret of her mother’s past. She arrives in Oxford excited, but soon falls in love with a hot, English boy who also happens to be a prince.
Evie can be an annoying character. She is extremely stubborn and not afraid to back down from a challenge. Like with most people, her stubbornness can often get her into trouble. She can also seem whiny or bratty at times. She also has the annoying characteristic of pushing people away instead of asking for help. Compared to her royal boyfriend, she seems like a whiny child and often says things without thinking through the consequences. I have many complaints about her character, but I know she only acts this way to provide drama. The story is lacking in conflict, so Evie is used to and some forced tension and drama.
The Heir and the Spare was a sweet book. If you’re looking for an action-packed novel filled with suspense and intrigue, you’ve come to the wrong place. This is a fairytale, romance novel. Its sole purpose is to induce feels with all its cute romance scenes. The book was lacking in almost every other aspect. The pacing was decent and didn’t waste time, but the plot was extremely predictable. If you look at the cover and read the synopsis, you instantly know how the book will end. This would be okay if the conflict was interesting, but it isn’t. Any tension felt forced and fake. All the problems were easily solved and not worth caring about. The setting also fell flat. Part of this book’s appeal (at least for me) was that it was set in the United Kingdom, more specifically, England. Evie is an American spending the year in England. While similar to many western countries in political structure and ideals, the UK and the US are very different culturally. Emily Albright did not do a good job of emphasizing the difference between these two countries and the lack of British slang didn’t help either. The book felt like any western city, just with Big Ben. The setting wasn’t the only thing that was bland. The characters were flat and fell into two camps. One camp contains the supporting cast who all had minor role, nonexistent backstories and weren’t worth caring about. The other camp contains the antagonists who were made into perfect, dislikable villains. Every character lacked depth. At this point, everyone’s question should be, “If you’re not reading a book for plot, setting, or characters, why read it?” To that, I answer, “Because of love.” This book is practically a fairytale, so its only saving grace is the romance. It is introduced quickly and grows stronger over time. If you’re a sucker for romance, this book will warm your heart. It’s cute, adorable, and royal fairytale, but nothing else. I give this 287 page book 3.5 stars.